Posts tagged “tipping point”

Posted on June 13th, 2012

Climate States A “stable state” for our climate is one which remains constant, buffering various forces that would change it. As Goldilocks would have it, the earth’s climate seems to have three stable states: too hot, too cold, and just right. These states may be characterized as follows: Too hot. The earth as hot house can occur when a build-up of greenhouse gases occurs. Volcanism releases greenhouse gases and ash; the ash blocks the sun and the earth cools. With enough ash (volcanism lasting tens of thousands of years), global cooling can result, with the rapid formation of polar ice caps and glaciation. When the volcanism subsides, the aerosols settle, the sky becomes clear, and the greenhouse gases take over, rapidly melting the ice and…